ICT news

• Spotify Plans New Premium Tier, Expected To Include HiFi Audio

  20-06-2023 23:20 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Spotify is planning a more expensive subscription option that's expected to include high-fidelity audio in an effort to drive more revenue and placate investors who've been saying the company should raise its prices. From a report: Dubbed "Supremium" internally, according to people familiar with the strategy, the new tier will be Spotify's most expensive plan and likely offer a HiFi feature the company first announced it was working on in 2021. Spotify delayed that product's rollout after two of
  
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• Latest SUSE Linux Enterprise Goes All in With Confidential Computing

  20-06-2023 22:41 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  SUSE's latest release of SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 Service Pack 5 (SLE 15 SP5) has a focus on security, claiming it as the first distro to offer full support for confidential computing to protect data. From a report: According to SUSE, the latest version of its enterprise platform is designed to deliver high-performance computing capabilities, with an inevitable mention of AI/ML workloads, plus it claims to have extended its live-patching capabilities. The release also comes just weeks after the
  
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• Short Daytime Naps May Keep Brain Healthy as It Ages, Study Says

  20-06-2023 22:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Taking a short nap during the day may help to protect the brain's health as it ages, researchers have suggested after finding that the practice appears to be associated with larger brain volume. From a report: While previous research has suggested long naps could be an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease, other work has revealed that a brief doze can improve people's ability to learn. Now researchers say they have found evidence to suggest napping may help to protect against brain shrinkage. Th
  
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• Some Subreddits Are Now Filled With Porn To Protest Reddit

  20-06-2023 21:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: A handful of subreddits have classified themselves as not safe for work (NSFW) to protest Reddit's recent treatment of the platform's volunteer moderators, and as a result, some non-porn communities are starting to get a lot of porn. More than 8,000 subreddits went dark last week in protest of the company's API pricing changes that are set to shut down popular third-party apps. But as the protests went on, Reddit started to push back. In an interview with The
  
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• New Twitch Program Meant To Give Streamers More Money Will Benefit Only 2.5%

  20-06-2023 20:40 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Although Twitch's new Partner Plus program, which gives streamers an increased share of their subscription revenues, was seen as an olive branch by many in the streaming community, creators should probably take a second look at the company's sparkling initiative before starting to cheer, industry experts say. Last Thursday, Twitch announced that streamers who qualified for its new Partner Plus initiative would get a 70 / 30 split of revenue from subscriptions
  
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• Submarine Missing Near Titanic Used a $30 Logitech Gamepad for Steering

  20-06-2023 20:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Earlier this week, news broke about an OceanGate Expeditions tourist submarine headed for the wreck of the Titanic that went missing with five people aboard. Soon after, details emerged about the sub's non-standard design that did not meet regulations, including steering apparently handled by a $30 Logitech F710 wireless PC game controller from 2010. From a report: Reuters reports that the five-person crew of the missing vessel, known as Titan, includes Hamish Harding, a British billionaire and
  
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• Suzuki and SkyDrive To Jointly Start Producing 'Flying Cars' in 2024

  20-06-2023 19:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Suzuki said Tuesday it has agreed to jointly start producing "flying cars" with Japanese start-up SkyDrive around the spring of 2024 as it aims to take the lead in the growing industry. From a report: Flying cars are a type of aircraft with the ability to vertically take off and land using multiple rotors. The vehicles are typically meant for carrying a small number of people, with some models also equipped for use on land. SkyDrive will set up a fully-owned production subsidiary that will assem
  
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• McDonalds and Fandom Replaced A Wiki Page With An Advertisement

  20-06-2023 18:43 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Grimace, an ancient McDonalds character who -- recent marketing blitz aside -- may be so unknown among younger readers they will actually need to consult a website to find out who the hell he is, has for a very long time had an extensive page up over at the unofficial McDonalds Wiki. Until this week, at least, when McDonalds paid the site's owners to temporarily replace Grimace's biography with a paid advertisement.
  Let's be clear up front: the original biogr
  
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• iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma Automatically Generates Apple ID Passkeys

  20-06-2023 18:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  You can now forgo entering your password on icloud.com and apple.com domains thanks to newly added passkey support. From a report: When running iOS 17 on an iPhone, any Apple site on the web can rely instead on Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate your login. As part of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, your Apple ID is automatically assigned a passkey that can be used for iCloud and Apple sites. If you're running iOS 17 on your iPhone, you can try it out now. Just go to any sign-in page with
  
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• OpenAI Considers Creating an App Store for AI Software

  20-06-2023 17:24 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI -- an early mover in releasing chatbots powered by large-language models -- is contemplating another initiative to extend its influence in the world of artificial intelligence. From a report: The company is considering launching a marketplace in which customers could sell AI models they customize for their own needs to other businesses, according to two people with knowledge of discussions at the company.
  The marketplace could be OpenAI's version of an app store, offering businesses a way
  
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• Apple Expanding Self-Service Repair Program To iPhone 14 Lineup and More Macs

  20-06-2023 16:44 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple today announced that its self-service repair program will be expanding to the iPhone 14 lineup, 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips starting June 21. From a report: First launched in April 2022, Apple's program provides customers with access to parts, manuals, and tools to repair select devices. Apple says the program is designed for anyone with "experience repairing electronic devices," but says the "vast majority"
  
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• Mastercard Submits Fresh Trademark Application For Crypto Tech

  20-06-2023 12:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  According to a recently discovered patent application, Mastercard plans to develop software optimized for bitcoin and blockchain transactions. The second-largest payment-processing corporation also aims to facilitate crypto-based transactions by reducing connections between virtual asset service providers. Crypto News reports: The trademark application is a fascinating window into Mastercard's plans for the future of digital currency. Details have been revealed about creating a downloadable appl
  
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• Webb Telescope Is Powerful Enough To See a Variety of Biosignatures In Exoplanets, Argues New Paper

  20-06-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  A new study argues that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is capable of detecting the chemical signs of life in exoplanet atmospheres -- the best hope for finding life on another world. Phys.Org reports: The team simulated atmospheric conditions for five broad types of Earth-like worlds: an ocean world, a volcanically active world, a rocky world during the high bombardment period, a super-Earth, and a world like Earth when life arose. They assumed all these worlds had a surface pressure of l
  
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• OpenAI Lobbied the EU To Water Down AI Regulation

  20-06-2023 08:32 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Billy Perrigo, reporting for Time: The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, has spent the last month touring world capitals where, at talks to sold-out crowds and in meetings with heads of governments, he has repeatedly spoken of the need for global AI regulation. But behind the scenes, OpenAI has lobbied for significant elements of the most comprehensive AI legislation in the world -- the E.U.'s AI Act -- to be watered down in ways that would reduce the regulatory burden on the company, according to docu
  
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• Seaweed Farming For CO2 Capture Would Take Up Too Much of the Ocean

  20-06-2023 05:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: If we're going to prevent the gravest dangers of global warming, experts agree, removing significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is essential. That's why, over the past few years, projects focused on growing seaweed to suck CO2 from the air and lock it in the sea have attracted attention -- and significant amounts of funding -- from the US government and private companies including Amazon. The problem: farming enou
  
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• 'Unheard of' Marine Heatwave Off UK and Irish Coasts Poses Serious Threat

  20-06-2023 04:02 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An unprecedented marine heatwave off the coasts of the UK and Ireland is posing a significant threat to marine species, with sea temperatures several degrees above normal, breaking records for late spring and early summer. The Guardian reports: The Met Office said global sea surface temperatures in April and May reached an all-time high for those months, according to records dating to 1850, with June also on course to hit record heat levels. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  
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• ASUS Urges Customers To Patch Critical Router Vulnerabilities

  20-06-2023 03:25 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  ASUS has released new firmware for several router models to address security vulnerabilities, including critical ones like CVE-2022-26376 and CVE-2018-1160, which can lead to denial-of-service attacks and code execution. The company advises customers to update their devices immediately or restrict WAN access until the devices are secured, urging them to create strong passwords and follow security measures. BleepingComputer reports: The first is a critical memory corruption weakness in the Asuswr
  
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• Gen-Z Is Taking Courses On How To Send An Email and What To Wear In the Office, According to a WSJ Report

  20-06-2023 02:45 via slashdot.org
  
  Recent graduates from Generation Z, who have primarily experienced virtual classes and remote internships during college, may need to improve their soft skills such as email writing, casual conversation, and appropriate work attire. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, companies like KPMG, Deloitte, and PwC are offering training programs to help these employees adapt to the office, focusing on in-person communication, eye contact, conversation pauses, and professional dress. I
  
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• Intel To Invest $25 Billion In Israel Factory In Record Deal, Netanyahu Says

  20-06-2023 02:02 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: U.S. chipmaker Intel will spend $25 billion on a new factory in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, calling it the largest-ever international investment in the country. The factory in Kiryat Gat is due to open in 2027, to operate through 2035 at least and to employ thousands of people, Israel's Finance Ministry said. Under the deal Intel will pay a 7.5% tax rate, up from the current 5%, the ministry added.During its almost f
  
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• KDE Plasma 6 Is Now 'Fairly Livable'

  20-06-2023 01:20 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  Prominent KDE developer Nate Graham believes that Plasma 6 is now "fairly livable" and recommends KDE developers and power users / enthusiasts start giving it a try. Phoronix reports: He characterized Plasma 6 as: "Basically everything in Plasma compiles with Qt 6, and at this point Plasma 6 is fairly livable. To give you a sense of how livable, it's good enough that over the past 2 months, I've gone on three KDE-related trips from the USA to Europe, with my only computer running Plasma 6 in "cu
  
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• LCD TVs Won't See Any Further Development

  20-06-2023 00:40 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  According to an industry insider, LCD TVs won't see any further development because all new R&D money is being spent on self-emissive displays like MicroLED and OLED, as well as on backlight technology like Mini-LED. Tom's Guide reports: According to Bob Raikes from Display Daily, it's all about OLED development. "I asked EMD (which is the US name of Merck KGaA and is by far the dominant supplier of LC materials), what they were doing to push LC materials for displays onto the next stage ...
  
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• Meta Says Its New Speech-Generating AI Model Is Too Dangerous For Public

  20-06-2023 00:00 via meta.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Meta says its new speech-generating AI model is too dangerous for public release. Meta announced a new AI model called Voicebox yesterday, one it says is the most versatile yet for speech generation, but it's not releasing it yet: "There are many exciting use cases for generative speech models, but because of the potential risks of misuse, we are not making the Voicebox model or code publicly available at this time."The model is still only a re
  
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